How is flour made? Flour is made by grinding grains, legumes, nuts, or seeds into a fine powder. Mind you it is fine and not coarse as coarse powders are referred to as meal rather than flour. Flours have its different source and they are wheat, barley and rye that we normally have in our diet but unfortunately they are off-limits on the gluten free diet. When we were in the school this was the knowledge our books has imparted us and even our teacher has also followed the same. But I think new edition of science book should also mention about gluten free flour that is made from a variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds that are free from gluten. There is some reason for me saying this because gluten intolerance is spreading its tentacles to every age group and so suddenly shifting from a normal diet to completely a new diet with new taste is very difficult when diagnose with this kind of serious disease.



So people suffering with gluten intolerance should first understand how to substitute gluten-free flour for wheat flour and for that it is important to know some of the basic facts about flour and gluten. You will be surprised to know that freshly milled wheat flour contains two proteins, glutenin and gliadin which turn into gluten when they come in contact with liquid. The sticky nature of the dough happens only when the glutenin and gliadin gets converted into gluten as soon as it gets in contact with water. It is also said that the concentration of gluten differs with the amount of water mixed. The more the water is mixed the more is the concentration of gluten and chewier is the dough which is highly dangerous for any celiac patient. Another important factor that enhances the concentration of dough is the amount of mixing and kneading. It is seen that lot of kneading helps the bonded gluten molecules form into long elastic strands or sheets.

Why celiac patients are said to avoid bread, cake and pie crust because they contain some amount of gluten in them. Therefore it is important for a celiac patient to follow a diet that is gluten free. But for that too it requires knowledge for example without gluten bread loafs and rolls do not hold their shape so to bake breads and rolls you need a loaf pans or Bunt pans, and use muffin tins for rolls. It is said that gluten is a kind of protein and that is what eliminated from gluten free diet which may lead to protein deficiency so it is important to add some protein to baking recipes when you are substituting gluten-free flours for wheat flour. You can replace half a cup of water in your recipe with egg or liquid egg whites that will add required protein to your recipe.

Still there are many recipes where you just need to coat something in flour before you saut? it. You can easily do it with single-grain gluten-free flour and for thickening sauces and gravies, it will be better if you use cornstarch or potato starch rather than gluten-free flour. And to bring the sticky effect then it can be stimulated to certain extent by adding gums like guar gum or xantham gum that are added in a very small amount. It does not end over here. There are many tips and ideas that you can get from so many great gluten-free cookbooks available in the market. If you are a celiac patient then you should get one for yourself and make your diet enjoyable.